Marks
by ScarletEmpress2017
Summary: (Part of my SoulmateAU, you may want to check those stories out for context) Marks are not the only things that define Soulmates. Names and marks are only one side of the coin. [Birthday present for N.C.-Anon]
1. Words alone

_Early 2011_

"Are you sure you don't want to be left alone Zirah?" Robin asked. "'Cause I can get these yahoos to haul-out if you want."

Robin, Wally, Caroline, and Aqualad had just finished giving their newest member, Zemirah, the grand tour of Mount Justice. They were all back in the lounge/kitchen piled up on the couch.

"No, its alright, I came here to get to know all of you. If I wanna be alone, I can go get alone."

Kaldur smiled and took her hand in his.

"And as for you, Mr. Obvious-Tattoos," she said turning to the Atlantean. "I have a bone to pick with you."

Kaldur know looked somewhere between curious and nervous. What bone could she possibly have to pick with him?

"Don't think I didn't see you staring at me."

To his credit, Kaldur's face did not change. He gazed at her curiously. He hadn't meant to stare. Not only was she beautiful, but seeing his tattoos decorate her body was an irresistible sight to behold. It was harder to look away.

"You see these tattoos?" she asked, holding up an arm to his face.

"Yes?"

"Do you know the kind of heart-attack you gave me when these showed up? If my mother could see these she'd have a stroke!"

"Zemirah, what the heck are you talking about?" Wally asked.

"Kaldur's tattoos are on him. But their also on my body," Zemirah explained.

The group stared at them both in utter amazement.

"What?"

"That is _so_ cool."

"I can't see it."

"Yes, Zatanna, its a thing. I know its cool Wally. And I know you can't see it Miss Martian, Kaldur and I are the only ones who can."

"Then why would your mom have a stroke?"

Zemirah sighed. Maybe she should've taken up on Robin's offer

[Marks]

Caroline eyed the name on her hand, with a pen in the other. She was _this_ close to writing something, but she hesitated. No-one would see it. No-one would answer. So, what was the point? Still something pushed her on, and eventually she found the strength to write something.

 _I'm sorry._

[Marks]

Somewhere else, miles and miles away, a young man was being introduced to his new housemates.

"Alright you two, I know this is sudden, but I'm under orders and I don't need you fighting me on this."

"G, what the heck you talking about?" a young man with dark blueish-black and pale pink hair asked.

"Well, you and your brother are getting a new roommate. Bankori, I want you on your best behavior. You got that?"

"Yes Reverend Carter," a slightly taller boy drawled.

"Alright, you can come out now."

Slowly, a boy a bit younger than the first two gingerly stepped out of his hiding place.

"Hi…"

"Go on child, introduce yourself," Reverend Carter gently instructed.

"My name is Alex."


	2. Identity

_Early 2011_

"Are the others back yet?"

"No Black Canary, I'm the only one here."

The blonde heroine nodded and motioned for the newbie to come nearer.

"You understand why you're here with me and not out with them, yes?"

"Mm-hm. I need basic combat training before I can be allowed anywhere near the field. And if I even dream of pulling a stunt similar to the 'Cadmus Fiasco' I will be outta here faster than the Flash."

Black Canary raised a brow at the younger hero. Zemirah giggled.

"Yeah, that last part was heavily implied; so I just said it out loud because no-one else would."

"I'm more surprised you know about it."

"Well… Kaldur _might_ have told me about it…"

"Of course he did… So do you have any previous experience in combat?"

"Um… I took a couple Tae Kwon Do lessons a while back, does that count for anything?"

"Did you retain anything from them?"

"I remember all of them actually."

"Anything else?"

"I take ballet, if that helps."

Black Canary gave the younger a smirk and their lesson began. The two were almost done when the hangar doors opened.

"They're back!"

Her sudden outburst did nothing to deter Black Canary from knocking her legs out from under her and sending her to the floor.

"Buhday, wha you do that for?" Zemirah complained weakly.

" _Never_ let your guard down," Black Canary explained amusedly.

Before Black Canary could help her up the others filed in, visibly tired from their mission. The youngest looked at her poor best friend who now sported slightly singed hair. Her eyes grazed over the others and was not at all pleased with what she saw. Kid Flash was bruised and his suit was slightly torn. Artemis held her arm and Zemirah was sure she had a cracked bone. Robin was even limping. But for some odd reason, the injury that struck her the most wasn't even the most severe. Kaldur had a cut on his face as though he'd been sliced. The girl shot up and scrambled over to him.

"Wha happen?" She asked, whispering in a voice pitched higher than normal.

Kaldur said nothing but winced under her touch, gently removing the hand from his face. Zemirah escaped his grip and moved to touch the mark again. The Atlantean flinched and Zemirah gently shushed him.

"It's alright, hold still."

She gently placed her hand on his face again, just under the lesion. She took a deep breath and shut her eyes for a moment before snapping them open again. Everyone was stunned into silence as her hand started to glow a soft, wispy teal. Almost instantly the gash began to close up. In under a minute the wound was gone. There was no evidence of it having existed.

"Does it still hurt?" Zemirah asked with a gentle voice.

Kaldur touched where the laceration used to be and flinched slightly. It still stung, but it no longer bled.

"Alright, how long have you been able to do that, and can you do it again?" Robin asked.

Zemirah looked and finally noticed that everyone was staring at her in awe. She looked at the Dark Knight's Apprentice and nodded.

"I've been able to do this for about as long as I can remember. I'm a little out of practice since I never did it much at home. Usually only on little cuts and pin-pricks. Though, I think I heal pretty fast either way."

"What? Why wouldn't you?" Artemis asked. "If I could heal up cuts and bruises like that I'd use it all the time."

"Yeah… You wan try explain to your mother why that cut you needed stitches for suddenly disappeared?"

"Good point," Artemis answered with a smirk.

Zemirah spent the next few minutes healing her injured… co-workers? She wasn't sure if she could truly consider them friends yet — beyond Caroline whom she'd known since she was eight; and a soulmate whom she knew very little of, all things considered. She knew she counted Robin as a friend, though she also knew it was a painfully biased decision as he was her best friend's boyfriend. She liked Wally enough, he was surprisingly sweet; but she wasn't sure what to make of him. Sometimes he was one of the most brilliant people she'd ever met, and others he was obtuse as an angle. Artemis was amicable, but guarded and kept her emotions in check. Miss Martian was a very bubbly person but she was often so worried and doubting that it was hard for Zemirah to go near. Not without being consumed by strong emotions to the point of being driven to tears, at least. The only ones it was easy to talk to was Zatanna; the mischievous but well-meaning magician, and Superboy; the classic tall-dark-and-handsome teen, with a heart of gold. The fact that he got her a welcome bouquet alone was enough to win him her favor. However, the fact that he had a tendency to avoid Zemirah led her to avoid him as well, if only to make him feel more at ease in his own home. And then there was another member of the team she had yet to even meet. She hadn't been told much about her, however.

"So Zemirah, are you gonna go camping with us tonight?" Kid Flash asked as soon as his bruise was gone.

"I'm sorry, _what_?" the empath asked.

"You know, you switch between that cool accent and talking like an American a lot," Robin observed.

"I know, when I was a little gyal I used to watch a lotta TV," Zemirah automatically responded. She then turned back to the red-head, "And as for you; _I'm sorry, what?_ "

"Um, I asked if you were going to go camping with us tonight?" the Kid repeated like it was the most obvious thing in the world.

"Oh, no. No. Nonononononono. I cyan understand ayou Americans and this _fascination_ with camping. Why you wan' sleep outside wid ten million mosquitos and no plumbing? Das jus' crazy!"

"Um… Because it's fun?" Kid tried.

Zemirah blinked.

"You well _sot_. If a hurricane hit you wan' be in a tent, or you wan' be inna house; which one? 'Cause I never see tent survive a hurricane in my life. An' I'n goin' _campin'_ until I do."

The second she said that, she noticed Robin get smug, almost as though he'd won a bet. Zemirah prepared herself for the worst.

"That's too bad, 'cause I finally convinced Batman to allow me to tell you all my secret ID. We planned the whole trip just for you. But if you don't wanna go…"

His implication was obvious enough. It took Zemirah a few seconds before she made her decision, inhaling deeply before letting out a calming breath. She walked over to Caroline looking fairly unhappy.

"If so much as one mosquito bite me," she said shaking a finger at her friend before using her other hand to point back at Robin. "I gon' kick him."

"Just not in the face," Caroline responded.

[Marks]

They all sat around the campfire, at a distance comfortable for both Kaldur and Miss Martian, but close enough to roast marshmallows. Zemirah sat with her legs crossed in between Kaldur and Caroline.

"So now what?" Zemirah snapped.

"Well, now, we get to introduce ourselves to you," Robin said. "Anybody wanna start?"

Everyone went quiet. Zemirah could feel confusion and even some mild apprehension. Well, if none of them were ready to tell her, they didn't have to.

"Y'know, its okay if none of you want to tell me," Zemirah said. "I don't mind."

Well, that last part was a bit of a lie.

"Actually, I don't know about everybody else, but I want to," Artemis said. "So, aside from being my code-name, I'm also known as Artemis. Artemis Crock"

"…Hi Artemis," Zemirah said, her heart lifting.

"I'm M'gann M'orzz."

"…Connor Kent."

Everyone looked to Robin, who had yet to reveal his Secret Identity. Caroline leaned over to whisper:

"He's gonna drag this out like the Drama-Queen he is."

"I can tell," Zemirah whispered back.

"So," Robin said standing up. "I know all of your Secret IDs, but you guys don't know mine."

"We know Bird-Wonder!" Artemis said. "So are you gonna tell us, or not?"

"I will… Although, to be entirely fair, Kid Flash has known for a while now."

A few whispers of shock went across the group.

"Seriously?" Artemis asked turning to her boyfriend. "You know?"

"I do," he answered with a nod.

"And you all called him 'Kid Big-Mouth'," Zemirah said with a chortle.

"Yeah," Robin said, rubbing the back of his neck. "That's on me too. Please know that I have never doubted you for a second."

Zemirah could feel the elation and relief at the reassurance. She smiled and rested her head on Kaldur's shoulder, holding his arm in her grasp.

"Anyways, you all know Robin. However, my alter-ego is known as Richard Grayson."

With a deft motion, Robin removed his ever-present shades, revealing a pair of crystal-blue eyes. She heard gasps of surprise from across the group, save for Kaldur, Wally, and herself. There was a sudden influx of excitement when the shock died down.

"You mean you're-?"

"No way!"

"You little troll!"

And there was the indignation she thought she imagined.

Robin- _Richard_ , looked over at the blonde and gave an absolutely wicked grin. Artemis glared, but gave a small smile that struggled to hold back a laugh.

"Hey, I told you we'd laugh about it someday."

With that the smile became a laugh Wally and Richard soon followed suit. Zemirah couldn't help but giggle along.

"I can't believe you," Artemis said with a final chuff.

"Um… What are you talking about?" Connor asked.

"When I first started going to Gotham Academy, this guy over here surprised me on my first day bay taking a selfie with me and then running off to who-knows-where. But Bette didn't call you 'Richard'."

"Yeah, I know. It's a nickname."

"Wait, what nickname?" M'gann asked.

"Well, instead of Richard I go by Dick Grayson."

"Uh… Isn't that a slang term for-?"

"Connor, please don't finish that sentence."

"It's an old-school nickname," Zemirah said.

"Yes, finally! Someone who gets it! You," Dick said, turning to Caroline. "Keep her."

"Speak to her. I am but a best friend, not a remote control."

"Don't worry, I plan on sticking around."

[Marks]

Caroline sat back and eyed the characters on her palm. She could not decide which hurt more. The fact that they were silver forever; or the fact that they were silver at all.

"You know staring at it won't change anything."

"I know Z. But I can't help but think it isn't fair. You're sure it's silver because their dead and not because I died?"

"Batman confirmed it Pinky. He researched every possibility regarding soulmates. You came back, it would've turned white again if that was the case."

"Can't blame me for hoping."

"I don't."

[Marks]

Alex sat at Reverend Carter's computer, tapping away on the keyboard with vigorous purpose. He heard a knocking before calling out.

"It's open!"

Chokichi stepped in with sandwich on a plate, and yanked the swivel chair back. He placed the plate on Alex's lap and demanded he eat. The brunet grudgingly complied. Chokichi looked over at the screen.

"So, what are you doing Alex?" Chokichi asked.

"Research," the brunet answered.

"On what?"

"My sister."

"You have a sister?"

"Yeah, we were on a walk, and then we were separated. I think I was kidnapped, but Reverend Carter rescued me."

"So why don't you ask him for help?"

"He said that he wants to, but this is something I have to do on my own."

"Well that sucks."

"It does… Where's your brother?"

"Somewhere far away from here, I hope."

"Why'dyou say that?"

"He had a date."

"Right…"


	3. Downtime

_2011_

Another mission had gone awry. At least that was how it seemed. Kaldur had entered the lounge after debriefing with what looked like a lot on his mind. His eyes were downcast and he was worried Most of the others had gone to their rooms or returned home. Zemirah had remained. She strolled into the den and offered Kaldur a biscuit from the packet she had on hand. He declined. She sat down at his right side and stared at her lap.

"You know, for a pair of soulmates, we don't talk all that much."

"Forgive me, but at the moment I do not feel like talking."

Zemirah reached over and took Kaldur's hand into both of her own. She began absentmindedly rubbing circles and lines into his palm and fingers.

"Zemirah, what are you doing?" Kaldur asked.

"Something," Zemirah answered quietly.

Zemirah continued her motions and smiled when Kaldur gave a mild shudder. She got the reaction she was looking for.

"You…" Kaldur said. "You are very good at that... Whatever it is."

"Thank you."

"What _are_ you doing though?"

"I'm massaging your hand," Zemirah answered plainly.

She continued her motions until she deemed her work complete. Then she turned his hand over and began working there. She massaged the parts just beneath the webbing on his hands and she heard a relaxed sigh. She giggled.

"Glad you're enjoying it."

In less than a few minutes, she finished her work and rested her hand in his lap. He lifted his hand up and flexed his fingers slowly.

"If I were to go into battle right now, I would be at a disadvantage," he said with a gentle smile.

"I'll take that as a compliment."

"It was… May I ask where you learned that?"

"Nowhere. I sorta just… Figured it out. My friend Talia says I should charge people."

"Really?"

"Yes, really."

"Perhaps you should."

"If you liked it that much, I'll charge you for the left hand then."

Kaldur laughed. Zemirah smiled, his laugh was a very pleasant sound. Deep and calming, much like his normal voice.

"If you must."

"I might. C'mon, give it here."

Kaldur obeyed and gave his left hand over. She began again, rubbing circles into his palm and lines into his fingers. Then turned it over and repeated the motion on the back of his hand. Eventually, he relaxed completely, and leaned back into the couch a bit. She finished up and gave his hand back, then rested her head on his shoulder.

"Do you… Do you want to tell me what went wrong tonight?"

"You have clearance to access mission reports, you can read it."

"I wanna hear it from you."

"This is not up for debate is it?"

"Do you want it to be?" Zemirah asked sitting upright to face him.

"Very well…" Kaldur sighed. "We were supposed to drop off the finished part of a prototype medical device at Star Labs.

"Medical device?"

"The description was too vague for me to guess what it is. It's purpose is medicinal, that was all could surmise."

"Fair enough."

"We were to prevent it from being stolen. A group of thieves on motorcycles that attempted to take the mechanism intercepted us. Easy enough, correct?"

"You tell me."

"Not really. Artemis attempted to puncture a few of their tires, but one of them sped up. She struck their engine instead of a tire."

"Oh no."

"Yes, and apparently, that specific bike had been rigged with some sort of device to ignite fuel."

"It blew up, didn't it?"

"Not quite. It burst into flames and forced the riders to dismount. We then had to rescue them before it actually exploded."

"And did you?"

"Yes."

"And everybody got out in one piece?"

"Yes."

"And the device made it out okay?"

"Yes, however we were a bit late in it's delivery."

"So… what was the problem?"

"The problem was that mid-way through, Kid Flash and Artemis began arguing."

"Well, that makes no sense."

"It does," Kaldur amended. "You did not see them before they began dating. When Artemis first joined the team, Kid had a grudge against her."

"Why? Hadn't they just met?"

"Yes. However, Kid had felt that she was replacing Red Arrow. And that was something he would not stand for."

"I- uh… I'm sorry. Who's Red Arrow?"

"You probably know him better as Speedy."

"Speedy… Oh! You mean Green Arrow's partner— well, former partner, now."

"Yes. After an… incident; he dropped most, if not all connections with the League and only associates with them when absolutely necessary."

"Oh… Well, then I suppose I could see why he felt like Speedy — Red Arrow or whatever his current code-name is — was being replaced."

"And of course, she took none of his nonsense."

"But instead of ignoring him, she took him on."

"Also correct."

"So tonight… They argued and it sort of just escalated from there?"

"Yes."

"But what in the name of Ateia were the arguing about in the first place? Her aim? Wally wouldn't stoop so low."

"No, but I was a bit busy trying not to fall off a moving truck to catch the beginning of their spat."

"Fair enough."

Zemirah took a biscuit from the packet and took a bite. Again, she offered one, and this time Kaldur accepted. She quashed a victorious smile.

"So aside from that, no other disasters?"

"No, none."

"Well, there are worse things that could happen."

"Such as…?"

"Well for one thing, they could have been a group of high profile thieves who were hired by some rival pharmaceutical company to steal the device for them. _Or:_ someone hired them to take it and completely destroy it. Or even a group of assassins under orders to take you all out for revenge against the League or something."

Kaldur had to agree that any one of those would have been potentially exponentially worse. He nodded with a look of understanding.

"True, however, as annoying as those thugs were, having Kid and Artemis going at each other like that did more harm than good."

"So? You're their leader. Just tell them to shut up and save it for when the team's safety _isn't_ being threatened."

Kaldur went strangely quiet. Zemirah looked over at him with a curious look, before it softened to a look of happy understanding.

"You're too nice."

"I am not. I would just rather not get between a lovers' spat. You should have seen them before they started dating."

"Oh, please don't tell me it was worse."

"Very well, I shall tell you nothing."

"You see you? You're terrible."

"Would you prefer I leave the room then?"

Bringing herself to sit on her knees on the sofa; Zemirah turned and kissed his cheek. He looked to her, mildly stunned but altogether pleased.

"No, no I would not. Now I made tuna, do you want any?"

"…Are the others in the cave?"

"No, why?"

"No reason," Kaldur answered cryptically. He got up and held his hand for her to take. "Shall we?"

"We shall," she giggled.

[Marks]

Chokichi and Bankori had just returned from another hunt. Bankori moved to flop onto the couch when his younger brother stopped him.

"Look before you leap you idiot," Chokichi snapped.

"The hell are you talking about?

Chokichi reached over and pulled back the blanket and revealed a sleeping Alex. Bankori's eyes widened comically.

"What the hell is _he_ doing on our mother-"

Chokichi slapped his hand over Bankori's mouth, knowing his loudmouthed brother would wake the other boy with his swearing.

"He was up all night so keep your trap shut!" He hissed out before grimacing suddenly. "Did you just lick me?"

Chokichi pulled back his hand and sure enough, his palm was damp. He shuddered almost violently and held his hand out, staring at it disgustedly.

"I don't even want to know where your tongue has been."

"You say that as though I don't brush my teeth."

"Do you?"

"Of course I do you moron. I know I'm not the cleanest person on the planet, but I'm not that bad."

"That's debatable."

Suddenly Alex stirred and the other two froze. Alex murmured in his sleep before settling again.

"What was he up doing anyways? He's not allowed to have guests last I checked," Bankori whispered.

"Trying to find his sister. Wait, why would he need guests to have been up all night? He could've had an anime marathon for all we care."

Bankori gave his brother a look and Chokichi rolled his eyes.

"You are an over-sexed pinhead. I'm going to bed. Good-night."

"Hold on, we can't just leave him there!"

But Chokichi was already gone. Bankori looked back at the sleeping teen and quietly cursed.


	4. Answers

Scarlett: _Oh, would you look at that. I updated_ **Marks.** _It must be my birthday._

2011

Kaldur and Zemirah sat in the kitchen, a tunafish sandwich before each of them and jokes on their tongues. Zemirah let out a bright laugh and Kaldur felt light.

"No way! I was right the first time, you. Are. Terrible."

Kaldur let out a small chuckle himself. He had just let her in on a little secret. For the past few years, he'd been pretending that he did not eat fish. Thus far, everyone but Red Arrow was fooled.

"So you and he was pulling off the longest running joke? Ayou wicked," Zemirah giggled again. "So how come you tellin' me?"

Kaldur looked around as though looking out for some eavesdropper, before leaning in close.

"Why should I trick you, when I can let you in on the fun?"

Zemirah let out another laugh and leaned onto his shoulder, tears of mirth welling up. She suddenly tensed and sat completely upright. She snatched his sandwich up and took a bite, dragging the plate in front of her. Before he could even question her actions, Kid Flash zoomed in.

"Hey guys!"

Kaldur only looked at Zemirah with wide eyes. Zemirah herself, struggled to swallow the large piece of bread, coughing harshly as she finally choked it down.

"Yikes, d'you need some water Mirah?" Kid Flash asked.

Zemirah nodded vigorously, still coughing. Kid grabbed a glass and filled it quickly handing it over to Zemirah. Kaldur put his hand to her back, rubbing comforting circles. Zemirah downed the water

"Thanks," she finally shuddered out after a few moments.

Kid Flash saluted, snatched up a few snacks, and zipped out of the room. Kaldur turned to Zemirah as soon as he was gone

"How did you know he was coming?" He immediately questioned.

"I can sense people."

"You can— what?"

"I can sense people."

Kaldur's eyes widened in amazement.

"That… Is incredible. Have you always been able to do that?"

"I've been able to do it for as long as I can remember. When I was little, I used to think it was just a 'sixth sense', but when I was able to tell exactly where everyone sat in my classroom in third grade without looking, I started testing it out."

"And you discovered that you could sense people?"

"More-or-less."

"Who is in the Mountain right now?"

"Not counting us and Wally? Dick, Artemis, Connor, and Caroline."

Kaldur's eyes widened in surprise.

"Can you tell exactly where they are?"

"Eh... When I get better acquainted with this mountain maybe. It's hard for me to tell exactly where someone is if I don't know the layout of the place. For instance, I know where the hangar is, and Connor is there. As for the rest of the mountain? Yeah I'm a little lost."

"Interesting, and very impressive… May I have my sandwich back now?"

Zemirah giggled and gave it over.

[Marks]

Bankori blearily ambled down the stairs. He wanted a glass of water before sleeping. He met his brother in the living room on Alex's laptop.

"I thought you were going to sleep?"

"I was, and then I remembered that Alex's stuff was out here. I was gonna turn it off and put it in his room."

"And you didn't, why?"

"Look at this."

Chokichi turned the device to let his older brother see the screen. A shadowy depiction of a caped figure. The caption above it read "Caped Crusader Caught on Camera!"

"And this very bad picture is important, _why?_ "

"This is Batman."

"… You mean the emo guy from the Justice League?"

Chokichi inhaled and desperately held on to what little patience he had left, before continuing.

"He's called Batman, and he mainly operates in Gotham."

"Still not seeing the point here."

"Do you not remember what he told us about his life?"

"Do I _look_ like someone who cares about some kid's life story?"

Chokichi paused.

"You are a horrible person."

"So you keep telling me."

"He was _in_ Gotham when he was separated from his sister."

"And Emo-guy has _what_ to do with all of this exactly?"

For a split second, Chokichi seriously contemplated the pros and cons of non-fatally stabbing his brother. Then he thought better of it and quickly moved on. If he started a fight right then the Reverend would scold them for waking him and destroying the living room.

" _Batman_ operates in Gotham. There's a chance that whatever happened to separate Alex from his twin, Batman might know something."

As soon as he said that, Chokichi shut the device and got up; leaving his blond brother still confused.

"And if he does? How does that help us?"

Chokichi stopped at the doorway to look back at his brother.

"We go to Gotham and we ask."


	5. Travel

2011

Kaldur finally managed to find time for the two of them to have a date. They decided to have it on St. Maarten. Kaldur figured Zemirah would be more comfortable on her own turf as opposed to the USA. And he was right. She was more excited than nervous. Now the main question was what they would do. He filtered through records while explaining to Roy.

 _You could take her to the movies. Simple enough, right?_ Roy offered.

"She did express interest in… What was the film called again? _Big Mommas?_ "

 _Seriously? You want to take her to_ that? _I thought it was supposed to be a date. I would think you of all people would want something more… lovey-dovey. Being a hopeless romantic and all that._

"I still am, however, I was thinking we would just… have fun."

 _Alright, your date, your business… I still can't believe you found her so soon._

"Yes, yes, you've mentioned that. Oh, your guy just got a hit in the database."

 _Care to send it?_

"Care to? No. Will I? Yes."

 _Thank you._

Kaldur gave an unimpressed hum but hit send anyways. Before he could say another word, the faint sound of gunfire cracked through the comms.

"What was that?"

 _Nothing._

The blatant lie didn't stop the sounds from getting louder.

"Roy, answer me."

 _Gotta go, bye!_

"Roy, don't you dare-!"

Kaldur made an irritated noise as the line went dead. He rolled his eyes before shutting off the screens.

"If he gets shot, I am _not_ stitching him up again," he muttered to himself.

"What's wrong?"

Kaldur whirled in the newcomer in surprise and found Zemirah standing there with a concerned frown. Her upset visage aside, she looked lovely, she wore a white off-shoulder blouse, black skinny jeans, and low-heeled black-and-gold sandals. Her hair was blown out and French-braided and she wore a simple gold necklace, gold star stud earrings, and a black bracelet on her left wrist. But

"You look lovely," he said.

"Thank you."

[Marks]

Caroline stepped into the hanger just as the two left. She was planning something. Aunt Carter was willing to let her work as Pink Cougar— but when it came to her life before, before the accident, before the heroism, Carter was quiet. Caroline had had to turn to Zemirah for what little she did know. Her birth name, where she used to live, all of it came from Zemirah. And because she was only told so much, she only had so much information to give. Everything else was a mystery.

And it was getting old.

However, Caroline wasn't willing to go to Carter again. The first few times she had, Carter had brushed it off, saying that what she wanted to be now was more important. It was frustrating to ask and be shut down, but she kept on trying and pushing. Until the last time she tried asking Carter… broke. She fell apart, crying begging her not to ask again. So, Caroline stopped. She wouldn't ask again; but that wouldn't stop her from trying to figure it out. She knew she used to live on the same island as Zemirah. She planned to go ahead and look around. The hope was that the sights, sounds, and smells would trigger some kind of memory. She glanced down at her silver soulmark once more.

Her hope was small.

[Marks]

"This is a bad idea little brother."

Chokichi rolled his eyes as their plane descended onto Gotham International. Bankori had been fighting against going to Gotham. Frankly, he didn't care what his older brother thought. When the Reverend gave them permission and they told Alex, the kid was ecstatic. He firmly believed that this was a great idea; and Chokichi couldn't fault him. Bankori, on the other hand, was unsympathetic and compassionless as always.

"You say that as if you actually think."

People began to disembark and Alex woke up from his flight nap. He was the first of the trio to grab his carry-on and get off. The two brothers were the last ones on board.

"Come on you blond prat," Chokichi commanded while grabbing his stuff. "We've got a job to do."

"Babysitting the kid is not our job."

"He's a mission."

"And dragging ourselves all the way to the city with the highest crime rate in the entire western hemisphere is in the description?"

"We're angels," Chokichi scoffed. "Our job is helping people. Besides, last I checked our orders fall in line with this. We're helping. You're helping. No options."

Bankori went silent.


End file.
